How a Fargo entrepreneur turned perfume into dollars.
Meet Debbi Osowski, founder and owner of have good adventures. Before creating happy, cozy scents, Debbi was a high school counselor; Helping children has always been something she is passionate about. “For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a school counselor,” she said. “Middle and high school are not easy years for most children: they can be stressful, confusing and lonely. I know they were for me and I just remember wishing I had someone to talk to and trust.
The journey to becoming a well-established candle company happened almost by chance. When her daughter Abby was getting married, Debbi decided to make candles as party favors. She never intended to start a business; it was just a hobby. Still, things started to fall into place organically when people started asking for more candles, and demand grew. “People in general like candles: they create a positive, uplifting atmosphere,” she said. It was an Aha! moment for Debbi. “That’s when I realized it could be something more than a hobby, which led me to learn more about running and marketing a business. »
Curious to know which scent suits you best?
have good adventures developed a “Which candle scent are you?” » quiz on their website. The quiz was developed to help customers identify which scent category they prefer: fresh and clean, sweet and spicy, woody and earthy, or floral.
The mother-daughter dynamic
When Debbi’s candle business began to grow, she needed more workers to help her keep up with demand. Fortunately, her daughter Abby showed interest in helping the business part-time. As an elementary music teacher, Abby had summers off, and it was the perfect opportunity to invest in what later became a shared passion between the two of them. As the business continued to grow, Debbi knew she would need even more help. Abby expressed increasing interest in various parts of the business and ultimately, Abby joined the company full-time in the summer of 2022.
“Abby brings a lot to the company with her creativity, organization and perspective as a young consumer,” said Debbi. “She really helps me stay in control and on track. I’ve always considered myself organized, but running a business is so different from anything I’ve done (before). It’s overwhelming at times, so having him there to process and help keep things on track is very valuable.
Abby helps manage company quality control, which is one of the most difficult aspects to maintain when businesses grow, and is often one of the reasons why so many businesses have difficulty maintaining as they develop. However, the mother-daughter duo of have good adventures really prides itself on quality, customer service and long term presence. Business logistics aside, as an educator, Abby shares many of the same ideas and beliefs about mental health as Debbi and loves it. have good adventures was a way to share something positive with the world.
Give back to the community
“From the start, I knew I wanted have good adventures to be a company that gives back,” Debbi said. As word spread, more organizations approached Debbi and Abby for donations. This led them to further determine their values and mission as a company and identify where they wanted donations to be directed. Having these opportunities to give back was somewhat of a “coming full circle” moment for them since their passion from the very beginning has been to invest in the lives of adolescents and children through mental health awareness, prevention suicide and strengthening self-esteem.
More recently, have good adventures has updated their business model so that $2 from the sale of each full-price retail candle is donated, allowing them to continue to run the business efficiently and be more transparent about their donations. Additionally, they also donate products, gift certificates and private lessons. have good adventures have given back to organizations like BIOgirls, NAMI, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and more.
“We said from the beginning that we wanted to be more than a candle company,” Debbi said. “We want to provide not only a product, but also positive and uplifting content and messages.” have good adventures sends a weekly “Sunday, Rest” email to its subscribers, which is not necessarily about selling candles. “It’s a personal growth or self-care topic that we care about or are focused on and want to share this journey with others. We also want people to feel good about purchasing a candle from us, knowing that lighting the candle not only uplifts their day, but that a portion was donated to uplift someone else’s day.
Debbi’s four handpicked scents for this fall
Black Sea – “This candle is part of our Signature Black collection and our best-selling candle annually. It has a woody, earthy scent but features sweet plum notes that make it unique and intriguing.
Check out their website or the Fargo studio today!
“We have a small retail space in our studio at 5256 50th Avenue S, Suite A. We publish our schedules daily on our website and social media. We are also available by appointment by email (email protected)“
Website | dogood-adventures.com
Instagram | @dogood_adventures
Facebook | /have good adventures
